https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/22/prince-every-album-rated-and-ranked

I always thought is never got the credit it deserved. I balked at this list placing it over Purple Rain but I certain does belong in the top 5. What say U about this ranking?

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I could see that. I would have "Purple Rain" at #1, and "Parade" at #2. It really is a great album.

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For me "Sign O The Times" is like The Beatles "White Album." Yes, some absolutely brilliant stuff on there, but the double album aspect of it hurts it. Not the knockout punch that a single album could have delivered. More like jabs just looking to score points along the way.

The Vault waaaay too high and 20ten waaaaay too low.

Otherwise not a crazy list.

Parade is 1 2 3 or 4 depending on my mood. Its really hard to rank 1999, PR, Parade and SOTT.

Gun to my head I'd put 1999/PR as tied for 1 and Parade/SOTT as tied for #2.

[Edited 6/3/16 11:16am]

I would put it in top 5 but not # 2.

Cloreen said:

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I could see that. I would have "Purple Rain" at #1, and "Parade" at #2. It really is a great album.

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For me "Sign O The Times" is like The Beatles "White Album." Yes, some absolutely brilliant stuff on there, but the double album aspect of it hurts it. Not the knockout punch that a single album could have delivered. More like jabs just looking to score points along the way.

I have never bought that worn cliche about it should have been a single album. The reason it is amazing is because it is a double album - the same goes for other iconic double albums like Steve's Songs in the Key of Life or Hendrix's Electric Landyland. Geniuses need double albums.

emesem said:

The Vault waaaay too high and 20ten waaaaay too low.

Otherwise not a crazy list.

Parade is 1 2 3 or 4 depending on my mood. Its really hard to rank 1999, PR, Parade and SOTT.

Gun to my head I'd put 1999/PR as tied for 1 and Parade/SOTT as tied for #2.

[Edited 6/3/16 11:16am]

Gun to my head I'd probably go:

SOTT 1

Parade 2

PR 3 (it is unbelievably difficult to process Purple Rain being 3rd)

1999 4

FUNKYNESS said:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/22/prince-every-album-rated-and-ranked

I always thought is never got the credit it deserved. I balked at this list placing it over Purple Rain but I certain does belong in the top 5. What say U about this ranking?

Sign is the greatest double by anyone ever in my view. No filler. So it deserves no 1. Parade is definately top 5.

FUNKYNESS said:

I have never bought that worn cliche about it should have been a single album.

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Nah, come on. More is not always better.

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For an example just take "Emancipation." You really think that works well as a three disc set? Don't you think it would have been a more enjoyable listen if it had been just two? How about just one? Now look at the flip side of that. Suppose "Purple Rain" - the tightest of all Prince albums - had been released as a double album? The tight perfection of that nine song album might then have become a bloated album.

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The Clash released a triple album called "Sandinista." Incredible work. But I once found and bought a promotional release of that record that CBS put out before the triple album set. The promo release is a single album....and it is phenomenal. The single album version is streamlined, removes the fat...an incredible record.

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Sure double albums serve a purpose. A double album like "Tommy" or "Jesus Christ Superstar" seems to work best because the breadth of the story needs a longer listening experience.

maplesyrupnjam said:

Sign is the greatest double by anyone ever in my view. No filler.

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"Play In The Sunshine" and "Slow Love" are filler. Susan Rogers herself admits to that. Go read that interview where she speaks of the "Sign O' The Times" album. She calls those two songs "transition" songs; she specifically states that they were not "core songs" of the album. They were placed on the album just to get you from one core song to the next core song.

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http://daddyrockstar.tumb...times-part

the albums of that period could go in any order.

Rainbow Children at 36 out of 37? No.

20TEN has grown on me.

And I'm still Purple Rain #1, SOTT #2, and the gap is sizable before getting to 3. Parade's a damn good album, but it's not better than those first two.

This is a fun discussion, though.

Cloreen said:

jayspud said:

Cloreen said:

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"Play In The Sunshine" and "Slow Love" are filler. Susan Rogers herself admits to that. Go read that interview where she speaks of the "Sign O' The Times" album. She calls those two songs "transition" songs; she specifically states that they were not "core songs" of the album. They were placed on the album just to get you from one core song to the next core song.

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http://daddyrockstar.tumb...times-part

I am surprised, whilst it is sandwiched between two great songs, I adore Play in the Sunshine, the vibrancy, the sense of fun, the energy.

susan don't know everything, i loved slow love, play in the sunshine? ok, that was garbage. susan said it was her dumb idea to release if i was your girlfriend as a single, great song, dumb idea. She says women want to hear that? not all women, some women hear that and go "what is this guys problem".

Cloreen said:

maplesyrupnjam said:

Sign is the greatest double by anyone ever in my view. No filler.

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"Play In The Sunshine" and "Slow Love" are filler. Susan Rogers herself admits to that. Go read that interview where she speaks of the "Sign O' The Times" album. She calls those two songs "transition" songs; she specifically states that they were not "core songs" of the album. They were placed on the album just to get you from one core song to the next core song.

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http://daddyrockstar.tumb...times-part

I do not like the use of the term "filler", it implies weak songs that should remain outtakes are added just to fill in space because an artist doesn't have enough good songs. This is not what Susan says. Those songs served a purpose in the sequencing of the album and though Prince may not have considered them essential I doubt he considered them weak. I don't think the word "filler" even existed in his mind.

I also question the validity of what Susan says: before it was the song after SOTT, PITS was the song after Rebirth Of The Flesh. Maybe it served the same transition purpose but it certainly wasn't placed there on the tracklist to "get us out of SOTT and into the rest of the record". I'm also shocked that she doesn't even remember the title of Parade and that she believes Beautiful Night was recorded at the Nice 85 show when it was the Paris 86 one, a year later! She seems a bit confused about the details (but that was 30 years ago so I can't blame her).

PeteSilas said:

jayspud said:

Cloreen said: I am surprised, whilst it is sandwiched between two great songs, I adore Play in the Sunshine, the vibrancy, the sense of fun, the energy.

susan don't know everything, i loved slow love, play in the sunshine? ok, that was garbage. susan said it was her dumb idea to release if i was your girlfriend as a single, great song, dumb idea. She says women want to hear that? not all women, some women hear that and go "what is this guys problem".

She doesn't say it was her idea.

Cloreen said:

FUNKYNESS said:

I have never bought that worn cliche about it should have been a single album.

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Nah, come on. More is not always better.

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For an example just take "Emancipation." You really think that works well as a three disc set?

Fuck YEAH!

databank said:

PeteSilas said:

susan don't know everything, i loved slow love, play in the sunshine? ok, that was garbage. susan said it was her dumb idea to release if i was your girlfriend as a single, great song, dumb idea. She says women want to hear that? not all women, some women hear that and go "what is this guys problem".

She doesn't say it was her idea.

i read she did

databank said:

Cloreen said:

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Nah, come on. More is not always better.

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For an example just take "Emancipation." You really think that works well as a three disc set?

Fuck YEAH!

i loved emancipation, i don't get let little quibbles that i read here get in my way. of course not every song was a gem, but a good 2/3's i loved.

Ingela said:

Parade has aged so well. I can see that. It has a permanent spot on my cars cd changer.

you know what I loved about Parade? I recently bought the mp3 and I could hear the bass lines, as funky as fuck, and they say he lost his funk. Brown Mark/Mark Brown brought his a game.

Cloreen said:

maplesyrupnjam said:

Sign is the greatest double by anyone ever in my view. No filler.

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"Play In The Sunshine" and "Slow Love" are filler. Susan Rogers herself admits to that. Go read that interview where she speaks of the "Sign O' The Times" album. She calls those two songs "transition" songs; she specifically states that they were not "core songs" of the album. They were placed on the album just to get you from one core song to the next core song.

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http://daddyrockstar.tumb...times-part

I don't care. Core songs or not core songs. They are not filler to me. Susan Rodgers or you don't influence my listening of this record. The best double ever made.

Considering that Parade is my second favorite Prince album, I agree.

The Black Album at number 11?????

And Phase 2 ranked as number 15 - most satisfying since Lovesexy?????

This album has grown on me, it's a beautiful album, do you think Alexa and Love Or Money should had been in this album?

[Edited 6/3/16 13:52pm]

[Edited 6/3/16 13:54pm]

Cloreen said:

maplesyrupnjam said:

Sign is the greatest double by anyone ever in my view. No filler.

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"Play In The Sunshine" and "Slow Love" are filler. Susan Rogers herself admits to that. Go read that interview where she speaks of the "Sign O' The Times" album. She calls those two songs "transition" songs; she specifically states that they were not "core songs" of the album. They were placed on the album just to get you from one core song to the next core song.

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http://daddyrockstar.tumb...times-part

Albums need sequences - songs have to progress from certain keys, with a variety of tempos and moods to avoid monotony (a word I've never heard used to describe SOTT). So what if they were last minute adds? If "Play in the Sunshine" is filler, the world could use more filler.

The top 15 is pretty good as a top 15 (I would personally have those 15 in mostly a completely different order) but after that it seems kind of random, like they didn't even listen to the albums. Rave Un2 should be last

I'm under the same impression they didn't listen to the albums - anyone on here could write better reviews, and I haven't listened to them all either. I will say Parade is not in my top four, though maybe my top five, I feel like there are four albums that are a cut above the others so those would be my five-star albums. Then a whole bunch tie below that. Although I admire Dirty Mind for its demo-version punk-funk attitude, its lyrical game-changing, and the origin of MLPSound, no matter how many strong tunes on that release, it's more sophomoric than 1999 and Lovesexy. Choosing between PR and SOTT is impossible: PR is tighter, SOTT has more voluptuous curves. Lovesexy is probably his most complex and ambitious, 1999 perhaps his most groundbreaking, the rosetta stone of EDM. Lovesexy gets the most plays on my headphones because I've listened to it the least. Come and Emancipation are too low.

"Parade" is number 2 on my personal P favorite list, so I'm OK with that.